Review: Coraline

Coraline

OPENING: 02/06/2009

STUDIO: Focus Features

TRAILER: Trailer

ACCOMPLICES: Official Site

The Charge
Be careful what you wish for.

Opening Statement
Henry Selick’s Coraline is a film that respects the intelligence and fortitude of children. Entertainment for the kiddies has become increasingly watered-down these days, and it’s a shame. There’s a place for films that are cute, sweet. cuddly, dumb, and non-threatening. Some children actually prefer such things. However, there are plenty of children out there who are smart, brave, and imaginative, and there’s nothing they like better than a creepy adventure full of spooky twists and turns. Most of the great children’s films have always been just a little bit frightening — the terror in the woods in Beauty and the Beast; The flying monkeys in The Wizard of Oz; The trip down the river in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. Lots of children enjoy a good scare, and Coraline knows it. The kids might shiver, scream, and cover their eyes, but when it’s all said and done, they’ll want to see it again.

Facts of the Case
Young Coraline Jones (Dakota Fanning, The Secret Life of Bees) has just moved into a new home. She’s bored by her new surroundings and rather grumpy she doesn’t have any friends or anything to do. Coraline’s mother (Teri Hatcher, Desperate Housewives) and father (John Hodgman, The Daily Show) write columns for a gardening magazine, and lately both seem to be buried in their work. Coraline does meet a rather shy boy named Wybie, but she finds him a bit too chatty. There are two old ladies (Jennifer Saunders and Dawn French, French and Saunders) who live in downstairs portion of the house, and an eccentric Russian man named Mr. Bobinsky (Ian McShane, Deadwood) who lives upstairs, but Coraline finds all of these folks a bit too odd for her tastes. School hasn’t started yet, and Coraline isn’t keen on trying to make new friends, so she spends her time wandering around looking for interesting things.

One day, Coraline discovers something particularly unusual. It’s a small door in the house. The door is locked. Coraline begs her mother to open it, but is disheartened when she discovers there’s nothing but a brick wall behind it. That night, when she is trying to sleep, a little mouse runs through the room. Coraline becomes curious and decides to follow the mouse, who leads her right back to the little door. She is puzzled by this, and opens the door again. This time, Coraline doesn’t find a brick wall, but a mysterious tunnel leading to who-knows-where. Being a rather brave and curious girl, she crawls down the tunnel.

When our young heroine comes out on the other side, Coraline finds herself in a home that looks very much like her own. Everything is the same, but somehow better. The rooms are nicer, the food tastes better, and everything is generally wonderful. She’s particularly surprised when she sees her mother there. At least, it looks like her mother. There’s only one difference: this “other mother” has buttons for eyes. The “other mother” is sweeter and seemingly more indulgent and loving than Coraline’s real mother. Initially, she is thrilled to be able to escape to this alternate reality, and begins to make regular visits. However, it soon becomes clear this “other mother” may be up to something nasty. The first hint: Coraline is told she cannot stay in the alternate world unless she agrees to have her eyes replaced with shiny black buttons.

The Evidence
Coraline is based on a very good novel by Neil Gaiman, who won the Newbury Medal for one of his books just days before the film was released. It may remind some viewers a bit of Mirrormask, another spooky-yet-fascinating fantasy film written by Gaiman, featuring a somewhat unpleasant young girl with a sour personality working her way through a most unusual and creepy alternate dimension. While Mirrormask was filtered through the visual lens of artist and director Dave McKean, Coraline is brought to life by the vision of director Henry Selick. If that name isn’t familiar to you, Selick is the man responsible for doing most of the hard work on stop-motion films such as The Nightmare Before Christmas and Corpse Bride. Most people are quick to give credit to Tim Burton for those films (and Burton’s artistic style certainly defines both), but Selick is the real genius who makes the stop-motion animation process so gorgeous.

I don’t mean to insult Burton when I say I’m glad Selick was able to break away and make Coraline. The tidy dollhouse feeling that permeates most Burton films is swept away here, replaced by a gloriously designed yet very unstable and unpredictable dimension that will fascinate viewers young and old. The stop-motion animation is genuinely jaw-dropping, particularly during a circus performance by some very talented mice. Selick’s visuals breathe vibrant life into Gaiman’s gloriously twisted take on The Chronicles of Narnia, creating a film that manages to be both energetic and eerie.

The voice cast is well-chosen. Dakota Fanning does a nice job of conveying Coraline’s moody-yet-vibrant personality, and Teri Hatcher provides vocal inflections which subtly set the two mothers apart. The rich voice of Keith David is given to the cat that Coraline speaks to on occasion, and Ian McShane seems to be having a good time with a rather goofy Russian accent. The character animation strikes an amusing balance between realism and wild exaggeration, appropriate for a film like this — Coraline’s impossibly thin legs, Mr. Bobinsky’s enormous belly, the wildly over-proportioned figures of the two old women. I prefer stop-motion animation to the slicker CGI, because there’s a sense of loving detail and slighty jerky movement that adds a “homemade” charm.


Closing Statement
Each year, the latest heartwarming outing from Pixar seems to easily stand out as the best animated film of the year. This year, there’s another major contender for that prize. Coraline is a wonderful achievement; the first great film of 2009, and quite possibly a modern classic. Certain scenes may be a bit too intense for the younger ones, but Coraline is very highly recommended for brave children of all ages.

The Verdict
10/10

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